No one expected Alabama tight end O.J. Howard to be available with the 19th pick in the draft. When he was, the Buccaneers wasted no time to get him.
Tampa Bay took the big, fast, strong tight end with the 19th overall pick, getting a player who was projected to go much higher. The Bucs weren’t on the clock for long, suggesting that they were eager to get Howard when they could.
Looking at more than a dozen mock drafts published this week, we saw none that still had Howard on the board when the Bucs picked. Tampa Bay had to be pleasantly surprised that Howard was still available.
Howard is one of the best athletes in this draft class, and a great new target for Jameis Winston. He just made the Bucs very happy.